The things stored within our hearts and minds are sure to be revealed for all to witness when the pressure of life squeezes us tight. It's so easy for us to say just the right things and to do all that is considered proper... but what comes to the surface when the pressure builds up and chaos takes over, tends to show the real person that lives deep down within.It's like squeezing a sponge.
A day of cleaning has been completed, and you have a basket of sponges that have each served their particular purpose in aiding you in your mission to scrub and clean a variety of surfaces. However, you realize you lost track of which sponge was used for what. They all look alike since you bought a bulk package of blue sponges, so it's hard to tell by looking at them as to which was used in each room you cleaned.
You pick up the first sponge and squeeze it over the sink. A brown fluid drips out and you remember the bottle of Pepsi that spilled and was wiped up. Another sponge is picked up and squeezed and out flows bubbles that smell like Tilex, which you used to scrub out the bathtub. A third sponge is squeezed and you smell the motor oil your husband dripped on the way to the garbage bin when changing the oil. The last sponge gets squeezed and you see a bright yellowish fluid from the Pine-Sol you used to clean the kitchen floor, but when you set that sponge down you realize you're right back to where you began, a pile of similar sponges. They're all the same... until they're squeezed.
Our lives are identical to the sponges in relation to our walk with God. We look, talk, and act as though our lives have truly been submitted to God. We do things that make it seem as though our lives are on track, we say all the right things to give the proper impression... but what has really been soaked up inside? If we were squeezed, what would be revealed showing how our hearts really look?
When moments arise and life's hands give us a good squeeze, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually... what drips out of the sponge? Do we lash out in anger, or with love and patience? Do ugly words spill out, or do we take a deep breath and remember that mistakes can and will happen, and we've all had our turn making them? Does revenge leak out to a person that has hurt us, or is it forgiveness that overflows?
Just like the blue sponges used to clean up the house, only things that have been soaked up can be squeezed out. Fill yourself with things pleasing to the Lord. Read the Word of God each day. Pray often, silently or aloud. Spend your free time with others that are encouraging and positive. Doing these things will ensure that when your life's sponge is squeezed, that nothing other than what is pleasing to God will pour out.
